Love vs Duty
by krystleab
Summary: What if Abbey and Jed didn't get married out of love, but because their parents made them


Title: Love VS Duty  
  
Character: Jed, Ellie, OFC  
  
Category: Pre White House  
  
Pairing: Jed/OFC, Jed/Abbey  
  
Rating: PG  
  
Summary: what if Abbey and Jed didn't get married out of love, but because their parents made them.  
  
Author's Notes: This is a challenge response.  
  
As Ellie walked through the crowded basement of her parents Manchester home searching for the textbooks that her mother was sure where up there, she noticed a small box in the corner, it didn't look like it had been opened it quite some time as it was covered in dust, "finally" she muttered as she thought that she had finally located the missing books. Once she dragged the heavy box towards the light so she could see more clearly she began to open the box, it was then she realised that the box did not contain the textbooks she was searching for, however the contents of this box did seem a lot more interesting.  
  
Sitting in the top of the full box was a large pile of letters addressed to her father, she thought of how romantic it was that he had kept all of the letters her mother had wrote to him, as she pulled the letters out of the box and placed them beside her she noticed that there was also a photo Album in the box. As Ellie opened the photo album, she immediately recognized the young man in the pictures as her father, but the girl was defiantly not her mother, as she looked through each of the pages she noticed how many pictures of this woman there where, there were also a few photo's with Leo and some other people which Ellie assumed must have been there friends, but every picture that had her father in it also had that same girl in it.  
  
Part of her always knew that her parents must have dated other people before they got married, after all her father had been to college before he even got engaged to her mother and All of her sisters knew about her mother famous relationship with Ron Erhlich, but to actually see it in black and white made it a reality. Ellie knew that she shouldn't be looking through her fathers personal stuff, but curiosity got the better of her and she picked up the letters that she had placed on the floor beside her before looking in the photo album, the first one she opened was addressed to her dad at Notre Dame, however it wasn't dated.  
  
Jed, I miss you so much; I can't wait until summer when I can finally see each other again. I know it has only been a few weeks since I saw you last but it seems like a lifetime ago. When I received your letter in the post the other day I couldn't believe it, I was so exited. I don't think I actually thought that you would write to me. I know you said you would but until I received that letter I never really allowed myself to believe you. How is school going? Leo said you changed your Major to Economics, Good luck with that, I really do hope tat it all works out...  
  
As Ellie read through the remainder of the letter, which mainly consisted of what this person was doing at school, she wondered what kind of relationship they had. As she reached the end of the first letter she read that the letter was from Kim. They're where several more letters from Kim that said practically the same thing, Leo was mentioned several times so Ellie assumed that Kim and Leo went to school together. As Ellie opened yet another letter she was shocked at what she read  
  
Jed, I don't have much time before class starts but I really wanted to write to you so here goes Wow, that must have been the most extraordinary Vacation I have ever had, I always thought that I would wait until marriage to do anything even remotely like what we did together, but I know that I will never, ever regret what we did  
  
Love Kim  
  
P.S. I told you I didn't have much time.  
  
"YUK" Ellie Screeched as she finished that letter, but even though she was completely grossed out by what she had just read and that she knew what she was doing was wrong she felt compelled to continue.  
  
Her mind was running at a mile a minute with all these questions she wanted answers too. Was her father in live with Kim? How did her Mom enter the picture? Was her mom the reason Kim and her father broke up? Why did they break up if not for her mom? How long where they together?  
  
As Ellie skimmed through more of the letters she became a little bored with reading about how Kim was doing at school, she really wished that she could read her fathers replies to the letters, or at least the answers to some of the questions that Kim had asked him. It wasn't until she read her mothers name that her curiosity peaked again. For the most part the letter was about what Kim was doing, but in the last paragraph Kim briefly mentioned the name "Abigail"  
  
Jed, I really do not know what you want me to tell you, I can not tell you what to do, it would be wrong of me to make that decision for you, Of Course I don't want you to marry this "Abigail", but it is something you should at least give some thought to. Your parents must have a good reason for arranging this. I just hope that whatever decision you do make that it is right for you.  
  
Love Always Kim  
  
Ellie was in shock, had she really just read that her grandparents had arranged her parents marriage, I couldn't be true, not her parents, they just loved each other too much. As Ellie kept on reading letter after letter, more and more her mother was being mentioned, it wasn't until a dozen or so letters later that she found a letter that mentioned her parents wedding, but Ellie didn't understand why her father was still writing to Kim even though he had married her mother, so she decided that she couldn't stop reading these letters until she found a reason  
  
Jed, Congratulations on the wedding, you looked so Handsome in the photo's that Leo and Jenny showed me. I know that you wanted me to be there, but I hope you understand that I couldn't be in the audience of you getting married to someone else, It would just hurt to much. I know that you are doing the right thing for your family, but does that mean I am not allowed to be jealous, I always thought since that first night between us tat it would have been me up there beside you. I must say though that she did look wonderful, you never said she was pretty Jed, and obviously she in Love with you. Jed you should really give her a chance, maybe you might be perfect for each other but you have to give her a chance in order to find out.  
  
Kim  
  
P.S. I Don't think we should write to each other anymore. It just seems wrong.  
  
As Ellie put that letter back in the envelope, she hesitated as she looked at the next one. This one was sent to her father in London, but not to his home address but to the school, she thought of how this must have been to make sure that her Mom didn't see them.  
  
Jed, I was happy to see you at Leo and Jenny's wedding before you left, you looked really good and I am glad that you decided to dance with me (even though it was in another room so no-body would see). I wasn't lying when I said that I missed you, but I certainly hope that you where when you agreed. Abbey has no Idea about our relationship does she? I talked to her for a few minutes at the reception, but of course you know that. She was very nice, not at all what expected from your letters, I don't understand what it is you dislike about her, but I guess I only spent a few minutes with her when you have to live with her. I was told by some friends that I was extremely nice to your wife when they all expected me to flip out or something, but I guess the main reason I didn't flip out when I was talking to her was because I had no idea it was your Abbey I was talking to, There was another Abigail there and I though she was your wife not the one I was talking to, I didn't realize that it was her until I saw you leave together  
  
I Miss you to Kim  
  
Then Ellie was in complete shock, her father was still carrying on with this woman even after her parents had gotten married, she really thought that her dad was better than that, and she wondered if her mum did know. As the silent tears rolled down her cheeks Ellie violently opened the next letter  
  
Jed,  
  
Gosh the mail does travel really fast these days doesn't it? I got your letter yesterday and it took me all night to gain the courage to open it, even then I did not have the strength to read it and I had to get Kate (my room-mate) to read it to me, as she got about half way through it I realised that you weren't going to tell me. Jed How could you not tell me about the baby (see I already know) I guess you thought that you could pretend that your wife isn't pregnant but god Jed you can't pretend that this child doesn't exist, it will be here in a few months and just because your on the other side of that ocean doesn't allow you to be so thoughtless.  
  
I guess a part of me always thought that one day we would be together again, I thought maybe once you had saved up enough money to pay your family's debts off and all that, that you would get divorced or get an annulment or something, but now with a child in the picture I see that that was all a fantasy.  
  
Do you understand that Jed, we can be together now, we can't continue this. I do love you know, but I now realize that this is wrong, I will love you forever Jed, but you have a family now and I am not a part of it. As much as this breaks my heart I can't write to you again, and I would appreciate it if you don't write to me either.  
  
Kim  
  
That was the last letter from Kim in the bundle, but there was still one letter in left it was addressed to Kim and in her father's handwriting. I was marked return to sender and had never been opened, as Ellie carefully opened the sealed envelope she was afraid of what she would find inside but yet again her curiosity got the better of her and she started to read.  
  
The letter was dated One Month after her sister Elizabeth was born.  
  
Kimberley, I know you asked me not to write but I felt that we both needed some closure on this relationship. One month ago today Abbey gave birth to the beautiful little angel, we called her Elizabeth and I realised then how much I have taken Abbey for granted. You where right, she does love me, I will never understand why, but she does, all this time I have thought that she was as reluctant to get married as me, but now that I have seen her go through that pain I realised that I love her too, granted it did take me a while to realize...  
  
I realize that you probably don't want to hear this, so I will stop babbling and get to the point.  
  
I hope life treats you kindly Kim, And I hope that you have all you dreamed for. I wish for you what I have now (a beautiful family). And most of all I wish you love  
  
Take care Kim  
  
Jed  
  
Ellie placed the letter back in the envelope and re-sealed it, she then placed all the items back in the box and moved the box back to the corner it came from. That box had been a real eye opener for Ellie, she didn't really know what she supposed to do with that information but she decided to keep it to herself. Fifteen Minutes later she found the medical textbooks she was after and she took them upstairs to her room and went to bed.  
  
~ END 


End file.
